Army Corps Strengthens Fish Barrier To Block Carp

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s turning up the juice in an electrical barrier network to better prevent migration of Asian carp and other species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.

The three-part barrier is in a shipping canal about 25 miles south of Chicago. Officials say it’s doing a good job of blocking fish movements between the two water systems. But there’s some concern about how well it can stop very small fish.

Maj. Gen. John Peabody of the Army Corps says testing suggests that strengthening the current would make the system even more effective without making it more dangerous to people in vessels passing through the canal. So the electrical settings are being turned up slightly later this fall.